Iron & Resin

Iron & Resin was founded in Ventura, California—a beach town where surfing and motorcycles reign supreme—when a group of friends decided to go into business together, weaving their passions and experiences into a new brand of clothing. The end result was classic Americana imbued with the raw, rugged blue-collar attitude that pulsates through their hometown. The first thing you notice when walking into Iron & Resin's flagship shop is the comfortable, masculine design and the overall atmosphere, which is steeped with 1960s motorcycle culture. Enclosed by sturdy brick walls, the shop gives the feeling you took a motorcycle road trip with your buddies and made a pit stop at an antique mom and pop store to pick up some supplies. It's filled with organic, hand crafted goods—vintage leather jackets, rugged boots, leather-bound journals, raw denim and some badass knives to name a few. It's clear that authenticity and their attention to quality and detail are paramount to their mission, having all of their clothing and goods made here in the US. The brand just turned a year old, so we sat down with co-founder Thom Hill to talk shop.

Tell us about the philosophy behind Iron & Resin?

Without getting too corny here, we try to share the exhilaration and inspiration one gets while immersed in some devotional pursuit. For us, that happens to be when we're gliding along on a wave, carving a back country rode on our motorbike, or standing atop some remote peak watching the sun sink into the ocean. It's an intangible thing that hopefully everyone gets to experience every once in a while.

Visit the Shop

324 E Main St., Ventura, CA 93001; 805.643.0737

How much of your own lifestyle gets put into your product line?

Jackson and I both love to surf and are into vintage motorcycles. We also draw inspiration from both of our backgrounds, whether it's music we love, shit we did as kids or the stuff we're still out doing. All of it is drawn from our collective consciousness.

And what were some of those influences growing up?

I've spent most of my life in Cali, but I was born in North Carolina and spent a good part of my childhood there. My grandfathers were avid outdoorsmen and instilled a deep appreciation for living outdoors. One was a classic American Picker. We'd hit the flea markets in search of buried treasure and I'd come home with all sorts of things from the mountains of Virginia and North Carolina—antique toys, civil war artifacts, you name it. To this day, I love hitting the flea markets. My wife is convinced I'm a hoarder. Of course surfing and riding motorcycles are in the picture as well, so weekends were spent either on my board or on my first bike (a Honda Trail 70).

The brand definitely captures that 1960s motorcycle culture, which seems to be enjoying a resurgence these days. Why is that, you think?

I think people will always look to the past for guidance in the future. Whether it be fashion, politics, style, whatever. I know for us, as life gets more complicated and fast-paced, we like to look back on what we imagine were simpler times. A lot of the elements we put into our product are a nod to the past. They're comfortable and familiar in a way that makes us feel good in some way.

Iron & Resin is currently building a shop in Paris called Les Ateliers, opening in October. They're also planning some pop-ups around the US later this fall.